New Sydney
by bubblemoon66
Summary: Grace, Lorcan and Darcy travel to Sydney on a mission for Mosh Zu. GracexLorcan. Sorry, Title and summury suck.
1. Arrival

Hello, This is a Vampirates fanfic I wrote. I'm not trying to replace the ones already out there but I thought we could do with a few more because there aren't that many and it's one of the best series of books out there.

This is basically a story about Grace, Lorcan and Darcy staying in Sydney (or New Sydney as they call it) on a mission from Mosh Zu. Some Romance latter; (GracexLorcan). It's not very clear in the beginning but you start to pick up the plot line after the first chapter. The story takes place after Blood Captain but doesn't have much to do with _that_ plot line.

Warning: Contains spoilers.

Disclaimer: And no, I don't own Vampirates, because if I did there would be a lot more Romance.

Please let me know what you think by reviewing, I really appreciate it,

_lol, bubblemoon66._

* * *

Grace Tempest stood nervously on the docking area of Lavender Bay. It was busy considering it was well after sunset. Sailors ran back and forth between container ships carrying cargo, to preoccupied to notice her. She looked towards the water once more but the Vampirate ship had already sailed out of view. 

"So, where to next?" Grace smiled, as always, at the sound of Lorcan's voice. He had only recently recovered from his blindness but despite this had insisted that he traveled with Grace to New Sydney. She couldn't help but worry about him, even now, but at least if anything were to happen to him they'd have Darcy. Grace turned to her other companion in interest as Darcy fumbled around in her bag looking for a map. Darcy had kindly offered to assist Grace and Lorcan on their journey as they were getting ready to Sanctuary on a mission for the vampirate guru, Mosh Zu Kamal.

"Umm…If we head north then west we'll come to the city center, where we can get a couple of rooms for the day."

"Sounds good to me" Grace said yawning. "We're not even there yet and your already tired." Lorcan laughed, "I'm not tired!" Grace said pretending to be mad. "Come of, we don't all night."

As the three of them stepped off the docks and towards the darkened street, Grace looked around her; tall buildings stood on either side of the road hiding darkened alleyways in their shadows, what dark secrets lay hidden in this urban forest waiting to be unearthed? How many fugitives were veiled in the city streets living among normal, everyday people? She couldn't help shivering, Lorcan noticed and squeezed her arm gently "Don't worry about it, Grace"

They walked mainly in silence for a good part of an hour until they came to the slightly better district of Haymarket. "Ready to find somewhere to stay yet?" Darcy asked. Grace just nodded her head in agreement. She was tired having been up all morning sorting out all the small details for the trip, then when she was finally finished she had been to excited to get any rest.

"There's a hotel!" Darcy called cheerfully five minuets later. Grace struggled to see the sign hanging off the building in the dark, until stood in front of the large structure less then a minute later. She read aloud the sign aloud to them "The Floral Hotel"

Grace climbed the few steps up to the entrance and Lorcan held the door open as she and Darcy stepped inside, Grace blinked as her eyes were assaulted by the light which was almost dazzling compared to outside. As her eyes adjusted she noticed a group of soft white chairs clustered together in one corner. Spread across the room, on every available tabletop, and even extending to the floor, were vases of colorful flowers, filling the air with their fragrant perfume.

Lorcan stepped up the counter, a middle-aged man stood half asleep behind it. "Can I…. uhhh…help you? He asked rubbing his eyes? "Yes, three rooms if you have them, please"

"Yeah, rooms 20, 21, and 22"

"Thanks"

Lorcan took the keys that the receptionist held out, handing one to Grace and another to Darcy. "I'll ring the price up at the end of your stay. Rooms are down the hall then up the stairs. Have a…nice stay."

Grace glanced back at the clock in the lobby as the three of them walked down the long hallway; it was twenty minuets to four, no wonder the receptionist had been so tired. They climbed the stairs in silence each wondering about the days, and nights, ahead. Once they reached the rooms they had been given they said a short goodnight and Grace unlocked her room, inside it was dark to see, to tired to even turn on the lights to look around, Grace lay down on the bed and drifited off into a deep sleep.

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Thanks for reading, R&R. 


	2. The Rocks

Ok, I know my other chapter was stupid but it's more of an introduction than a chapter. This shows a bit more of Grace's thoughts and feelings so, hopefully, it's alot better. If you haven't already read Vampirates: Go read it, NOW!

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampirates, Justin Somper does.

Than you, _Summoner Yuna FFX_ for the review. It really helps to know that someone else enjoys Vampirates; I think the books are really under appreciated and a lot more fanfics should be written. lol –H.

* * *

Grace woke to a soft streak of sunlight falling across the bed she was lying in.

_Where am I? _She looked around theroom there were floral curtains hung slightly open letting some of the light in which matched the cover on the bed. There were boutiques of flowers on every table and two small paintings of violets hung on the wall. On one side of the bed was a wardrobe, table and chairs. On the other a door leading into a small bathroom; altogether pulling off a cozy and homely look.

Once Grace pulled the cover off and stood up remembering the room from last night. Looking at the suns position in the sky, as her father had taught her, it was around 1 in the afternoon. _Darcy and Lorcan are probably still asleep. _She decided to unpack her bag, she didn't know how long they'd be staying there but it would probably be awhile.

After she had finished putting the few outfits given to her by Darcy away in the wardrobe she realised she'd probably need to eat soon, Lorcan and Darcy won't miss her if she went out to get some food. Grabbing the hotel key and her purse from the bed Grace walked downstairs and into the lobby.

A young woman, in her early twenties stood behind the desk filling her nails. She stared at Grace as she entered the room. Grace looked down she realised she must look a mess, she hadn't combed her hair or changed out of the clothes she had slept in. "Can I help you?" Grace blushed at the women's stare "Do you know any good places to eat around here?" The women smirked "_The Rocks _is just down the road, but I'm sure a person of your _prestige _would prefer something a little less…_formal_." Grace's cheeks reddened even more. She didn't bother answering back and instead walked out the building, leaving the sneering girl behind.

Grace walked down the street in the afternoon sun; she turned at the next corner she saw and kept walking, trying to smooth down her long untidy hair. The receptionist had bothered her more than she had liked to admit, probably because she was right. She _did _stand out. Grace frowned, how could she be expected to fit into normal society? How could any of them? One 19th century Vampire, another who turned to a wooden figurehead during the day and a teenage orphan with a taste for the dark side: the perfect picture of normality. Grace smiled despite herself; it was easy to see she was different, she always had been. Even in Crescent moon bay her and Connor had been outcasts and now even he found her choice of lifestyle strange.

'_The Rocks', _Grace saw the building with the name written above it in fancy lettering. Luckily, it _wasn't_ formal dress, but still she felt slightly embarrassed as she opened the door and walked in. She sat down at one of the tables, a minuet later a waiter appeared with a glass of water "Have you decided on what you would like to order, _Madame?_" She glanced at the menu on the table, "I'll have the grilled chicken and mushroom salad."

"Anything else?"

"No thank you"

"Nothing to drink?"

"No" The waiter disappeared; he seemed disappointed that she had not ordered anything else. She took a sip of the water; it was cool on her tongue. She smiled, this was the first time she had been out in a long time, the last time had been Ma Kettles, for Jez's funeral.

Eventually the waiter appeared with her food and bill, the salad was good but she was already missing the cooking on the _Nocturne,_ there the food had simply melted in her mouth and left her longing for more. Still it wasn't bad; what was worse was the bill she quickly finished her meal and paid for the food, it wasn't that she couldn't afford; -Mosh Zu had seen to that. It was just that the Tempests had never been rich and it seemed to Grace an awful waste to spend so much on one meal when people around the world were starving.

Grace walked back to the hotel; luckily the lobby was empty as she entered. She made her way up to her room and sat down on the bed. She looked across the room and for the fist time noticed a small mirror half hidden behind some of the flowers. She got up to see her reflection more clearly; she looked a wreck. She grabbed a spare set of clothes and headed to the bathroom to take a shower.

Grace sat on the bed combing her wet hair. When she was finished she lay back down on the bed, she wasn't tired but she knew she would be by tonight if she didn't get anymore sleep before then. But even when she closed her eyes she couldn't help reflecting over the past couple of days:

_Mosh Zu and the Captain had asked Grace to come and see them one night, the Captain was ready to leave Sanctuary and return to the ship. Grace could, if she wanted, stay in Sanctuary or return to the Nocturne or there was a third option; she could __**temporally**__ leave both to travel to New Sydney on a job for Mosh Zu if she was willing. Grace had agreed to help out Mosh Zu, she had wanted to return to the Nocturne but she also enjoyed her time in Sanctuary, at least this way she could put off her choice for a little longer. _

_The mission: to track down a group of rouge Vampires hiding in the city. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem, vampires killed people all the time, but this time was different; a number of them had ganged up and started preying upon the people in New Sydney –responsible for almost half the murders and disappearances over the last couple of decades. But what was worst, and what had caused the vampirates to take action, was that they were growing in power. Turning their victims into vampires and causing even more damage._

* * *

Thanks for reading hope you liked it! Let me know what you think of the basic plotline so far. Hopefully it's not to confusing. There will be some of LorcanxGrace later on, Promise! 


	3. Larissa

_Hiya, Thanks for the reviews everyone, You Rock!_

_Hmmm, this is a very interesting (aka. weird) chapter, which is also a bit confusing._

_I don't think I wrote it as well as I could have but I was running out of ideas for what to write in this chapter, anyway Enjoy!_

_Let me know what you think and let me know if the characters are getting a little OOC. Review, Please!_

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampirates, Justin Somper does._

* * *

It was just after sunset when Grace awoke for the second time that day. She had eventually been able to get to sleep after awhile and now fully rested, she was ready to go. She tied up her still damp hair before stepping out into the hallway and knocking loudly on next room's door. Lorcan answered the door. "Hello, Grace up already?" Grace stepped into his room looking around, it was similar to hers with only a few small difference, most of which had been changed by him. Firstly (to Grace's disappointment) the mirror had been taken down and put on the ground with the back facing outwards, she had always wondered why their were no mirrors on the vampirate ship and had been curios to know if vampirates really did have no reflection. The curtains were closed and a large blanket that looked like it had been taken from the bed, also hung across the window stopping any light coming through during the day. 

"Do we need to go out and get you something to eat" Lorcan asked as Grace looked around his room. "No, I'm fine"

"Grace, you need to eat something."

"I've already eaten."

"What? When?"

"Umm…this afternoon, while you were asleep."

"Grace!" Lorcan groaned "What?" she asked. "Why didn't you tell us? What if something had happened to you? You know how dangerous it is here! You heard what Mosh Zu said." Grace felt a small tugging at her heart but at the same time she felt annoyed "Lorcan, their vampires! They wouldn't come out during the day!"

"It's not just vampires I'm worried about, Grace."

"What do you-"

Just then there was another knock at the door, Grace opened it; Darcy stood in the doorway. "Good evening Grace, Lorcan." She said. "Hello, Darcy!"

"Hi Darce"

"What's wrong?" Darcy asked looking at Lorcan and Grace's expressions.

"Nothing Darcy" Grace replied to her friend before Lorcan could answer. Darcy frowned and sat down on one of the chairs. Suddenly she smiled and looked up at Grace and Lorcan. "I was wondering…"

"What is it, Darcy?" Lorcan asked frowning. "Well, I was just thinking that it would be a good idea if we all went shopping, and bought some new clothes." Grace groaned "No way."

"Why not, Grace?" she pestered "We could get some new clothes and shoes and…"

"We are not going shopping." Lorcan interrupted "We are trying to keep a low profile and find a bunch of rouge vampires, _and that is it._ "I know that, but we can't stay here all night, we need to go out to find them and what better place to hind in then a place with a lot of people around. Plus if we want to blend in we defiantly need a new set of clothes." Grace hated to admit it but she half-agreed with Darcy, they did stand out –this afternoon had confirmed that, and they _would_ need to leave the hotel eventually. Darcy saw Graces expression and grinned, "See, Grace agrees with me." Lorcan turned to Grace "It's up to you, Grace."

"Well I suppose we could all do with a new outfit or two…"

Grace, Lorcan and Darcy stepped into the lobby. The first thing Grace noticed was the young woman from earlier sitting behind the desk flicking through a magazine. She sneered at Grace then her expression changed instantly as she caught sight of Lorcan. She tossed her hair and smiled at him, "Hiya, I'm Larissa, are you enjoying your stay here?" Lorcan just smiled but said nothing. "You know, my uncle owns this hotel so if you need _anything _at all,just let me know…"

"We're fine, thanks," Grace said, scowling. Larissa glared at Grace then turning back to Lorcan she added, "If you want anything, just ask and I'll be happy to help."

"Thanks for the offer, _Miss Larissa_" he said still smiling. "But we were just planning on walking down to the city centre. So we don't need much else, besides directions."

Larissa giggled "O-okay, just follow this road until you reach Broadway Street then turn left at Oxford Square then turn again at Burton Street until you come to Poplar Road which you can follow onto North-Main Street" Lorcan looked lost.

"Here, I'll write it down for you" She said giggling again at Lorcan's confusion and brushing against his arm as she reached for a piece of paper...

* * *

_Grrrr…. evil Larissa. _

_Let me know what you think._

_I'll try to post as soon as I can._

_lol, bubblemoon66_


	4. City Centre

_Ok, here's the next chapter. Sorry I didn't update earlier but I've been visiting family during the holidays and then I started a new fanfic._

_Nothing really happens during this chapter. Its kind of just a girls night out for Grace and Darcy so not much Lorcan in this chapter. _

_Kind of pointless but I felt I needed to include it, so enjoy! _

_Disclaimer: No, I don't own Vampirates._

* * *

Grace was still scowling as she stepped outside onto the street. 

Though Grace had only just met her, she already hated the young receptionist; she was everything Grace wasn't and could never be. She had probably grown up in a nice home with a good family not realising the danger of the world around her. In a way Grace loathed the girl for her ignorance; she often wondered what life would have been like if she had grown up in a normal household. But then again if she had she would have never have met Lorcan…

Lorcan. The last person Grace wanted to talk to at that moment. What was he thinking falling for Larissa's sly smiles and honey-coated words? How could he be so _impetuous?_

As Lorcan and Darcy joined her Grace started to walk in the direction Larissa had written down. She stayed a few paces ahead not wanting them to see how red her checks were. She heard the sound of running feet as Darcy caught up to her.

"Slow down, Grace." sullenly Grace obliged. "What's wrong?" Darcy asked. "Nothing."

"Come on Grace, I know you better then that. Tell me what's wrong?"

Grace didn't answer. But Darcy had always been good at guessing her friend's feelings "You aren't jealous of her, are you, Grace? "

Grace still remained silent, her blush deepening.

"You know he doesn't really like her, don't you? He was just trying to be nice, it's you he adores, I'm sure of it."

"Thanks Darcy"

"Cheer up Grace, me and you have a whole night to go and buy whatever are heart desires. I'm sure we could find something Lorcan would _appreciate_ seeing you in." Darcy said winking. Grace gasped then burst out laughing. She could always count on Darcy to cheer her up.

"What's so funny?" Lorcan asked, having caught up with them. Grace couldn't help but laugh at his puzzled expression forgetting the night's previous events as she and Darcy continued to giggle behind his back.

-

They soon reached the city centre, it was dark but the shops were still open, the light from the windows and signs lighting up the street. Grace stared up at the tall buildings on surrounding her. She had never been in a city so big before.

"Your going to hurt your neck doing that." Lorcan said looking up too.

Grace rolled her eyes saying nothing and Lorcan smirked.

"Come on, Grace me and you can go into some of the shops and Lorcan will meet us back here."

"Wait a minuet, Darcy, don't you think I should go with you? What if something happens?"

"Relax, Lorcan nothing will happen, We'll meet you back here in a couple of hours."

Darcy grabbed Graces arm and started dragging her towards one of the shops before either of them could protest.

-

"Darcy I really don't need all of this" Grace told her friend as, Darcy piled even more clothes into her arms. "A young lady can never have to many outfits, Grace." she said pushing Grace towards the changing rooms.

Grace looked at the garments she was holding and dropped them on the ground. She didn't really like the look of that many of them. Most of them were lacy tops and long skirts. This was going to be a long night…

-

"Are you sure that's all you want?"

"I'm sure" Grace answered her friend once more.

"We can always go pick out a few more outfits for you"

"I'm fine with this"

"Well if your sure"

-

Darcy paid for the clothes and they walked out of the store and back onto the street. Grace had bought a few outfits and spent the rest of her time trailing after Darcy form shop to shop. She hadn't exactly enjoyed herself but at least Darcy seemed happy enough.

-

"Ohhh, Look Grace!"

Grace looked to where Darcy was pointing. A long, pale pink dress hung on display in one of the windows. Grace groaned inwardly.

"Lets go there!" Darcy pleaded with Grace seeing her expression.

"What about Lorcan?"

"Oh, please, Grace, this can be our last shop. It won't take long, I promise."

"Ok, but hurry up" She said giving in to Darcy's plea.

Darcy grinned and ran towards the shop like an excited kid. Grace couldn't help but smile at her enthusiasm as she followed Darcy.

-

"Look at this, Grace!" Darcy said holding up a dress. Grace just nodded her head and made a mental note to herself never to go shopping with Darcy ever again. Her mind flicked back to Larissa again and she couldn't help feel cross again.

Oh! Look at this own Grace! Darcy said holding up yet another dress.

"Very pretty." Grace committed not even looking up.

"Not for me, for you."

"Wait…what?"

"You should get a dress, Grace."

"I don't need one."

"So? I said we would find something pretty for you to where."

"I thought you were joking"

Darcy smiled at her.

"At least try it on."

Grace looked closely at the dress Darcy was holding, it wasn't very frilly Grace was relived to see, it was a plain white but had black lace around the edges and had a black silk sash around the waste that tied together in a bow at the back. All in all it wasn't that bad.

_

* * *

Sorry about this chapter._

_I'll try to pick up the plotline again soon…._

_lol,_

_bubblemoon66_


	5. Questions

_Thanks for the reviews everyone!_

_I never realized how much everyone hates Larissa. I wasn't going to give her a major part in the story but maybe I will now to add to the drama. If Grace has her way Larissa might just be in a little "accident" involving a grand piano and a four story drop. (Just joking…..I think)_

_I agree, Clothes are defiantly Darcy's weakness and Grace is starting to sound a lot like Bella. I'm glad the last chapter wasn't to boring for you, but hopefully this ones better anyway._

* * *

Darcy and Grace walked quickly towards the street where they said they'd meet Lorcan, he was already there leaning against the side of the building, arms folded. 

"You took your time."

Darcy ignored him. But Grace couldn't help but smile at him.

"Are you done, then?" Lorcan asked.

Grace nodded her head and they started walking back towards the hotel. As Darcy skipped ahead (no doubt, excited about returning to the hotel and sorting out all her new outfits), Lorcan strode next to Grace.

"So, how was it?" he asked her.

"Well at least I know never to go shopping with Darcy ever again."

Lorcan grinned at her and she felt her spirits raise once more.

When they entered the hotel Grace was relived to see no one behind the reception desk.

The three of they climbed the stairs. Darcy unlocked her room and said goodnight to Lorcan and Grace leaving them standing alone in the hall way.

"Are you ok, Grace, you were acting a bit off this evening."

"I'm fine."

"Well, if your sure."

Grace could feel the awkwardness between them as they said goodnight.

---

Grace woke up just before sunset, the next day. She got out of bed and pulled on a tank top and jeans. She was starving, not haven eaten since the day before. Grace quickly brushed her hair and tied it back. She decided to run down to the corner shop to get some food so she wouldn't have to worry about going out to eat every time she was hungry.

She slipped on some sandals and locked the door behind her as she left her room. Behind the desk was the man she had seen on her first night here, she ignored him and walked out the hotel.

Grace breathed in the fresh air, it felt wonderful to be out and about again. She remembered what Lorcan had said about it being dangerous to be out alone even if it was still light outside but she dismissed his warning easily, he was being to protective of her. She could take care of herself, after all she had been able to deal with danger before.

---

Grace knocked on Darcy's door it was dark out once again but Darcy was still asleep. Lorcan stood next to Grace.

"If she's not up in five minutes, I say we just leave her here." he said. Grace smiled.

"I heard that, Lorcan!" Grace and Lorcan jumped at the sound of Darcy's voice from the other side of the doorway.

"Hurry up then!" he said rolling his eyes.

"We don't have all night you know, I mean it's not like were immortal or anything" he muttered sarcastically to Grace under his breath. Grace tried to stifle a giggle but at the same time Darcy opened the door glowering at Lorcan who tried to look as innocent as possible; this was to much for Grace who burst out laughing.

"Come on, Grace." Darcy said grabbing Grace's arm and dragging her down the hallway.

Lorcan followed them as they climbed down the stairs.

Once they reached the city centre they stopped and looked closely at their surroundings. Grace knew they were looking for the Vampires but she had no idea where to find them or even what they looked like. She watched the people walk past her, they looked normal enough but she couldn't be sure. After all vampires looked like regular people, it had taken her days to find out that she had been living amongst lots of them, So how was she suppose to find _one _in a city of millions?

"Where do you think we should look first?" Grace asked her two friends. Darcy shrugged her shoulders but Lorcan smiled, "We just need to find shabbiest looking bar and ask around."

Grace shook her head, "It wouldn't work, everyone will just think we're mad if we go up and ask them if they've seen a couple of vampires lately."

"Well we wouldn't question them directly. We would just ask if they've noticed anyone strange hanging around outside."

Grace just shook her head again in disagreement but she couldn't think of a good enough response. That made Lorcan smile even more, "We might as well try it, if you don't have a better idea"

The three of them walked down one of the side streets, it was already much more rundown once they left the bright lights behind that masked the gloominess of the real city. Grace couldn't help but feel slightly excited as they walked down the empty alleyway, _when _(ok, _if_) they did find the rouge Vampires, Grace was sure it was going to be a _very interesting _time.

---

Grace studied the building in front of her, it was falling apart but still managed to attract a range of people inside, it reminded her of the taverns the pirates sometimes stopped at, which made sense considering _it was _a tavern she was staring at.

"Are you coming in, Grace, or are you just going to stand there?" Lorcan asked holding open the door. She stepped inside followed by Darcy and they made their way over to the bar.

"Yea?" the barman said spotting them as they stopped at the bar. "What can I get ya?"

"We were just wondering if you had seen anything strange happening around here?" Grace realised it would have been better if she hadn't spoken as soon as the words left her lips, which was confirmed by the smirk on the barman's face. He regarded her closely, "Aren't ya a little young to be 'ere." Grace blushed she had forgotten that it would look odd for a girl her age to be wandering down dark alleyways at this time of night, _so much for blending in_. "Not that I mind, at least if you're young, ya-"

Luckily Lorcan came to her rescue, "Can you just tell us if you've seen anything odd lately." he said with steel in his voice.

"I've seen plenty of strange things but if ya don't ask any questions, ya don't get any lies; that's the way things work round 'ere see. Now order something or get out."

Darcy pulled Lorcan and Grace towards the door, "Come on, there's no point in staying, we're not going to get anything good out of _him_." Grace and Lorcan followed Darcy out of the pub under the watchful eyes of the barman. When they were outside Lorcan sighed, "I'm sorry, I thought it was a good idea. You were right though it was a stupid plan, it wouldn't have worked."

Grace didn't need to ask what he meant, she already knew. "No, it was a good idea we just chose the wrong bar that's all."

"Yeah, we shouldn't let just one person ruin a perfectly good plan. We just need to keep trying." Darcy said.

The rest of the night was spent finding pubs and taverns and asking the owners or staff questions. Some were more helpful then the first man telling them what they had seen (if anything) but none of it came to anything that sounded anything like a vampire attack. Other people acted like the first bartender telling them to mind their own business. Grace was soon sick of people staring at them as they wandered around and not finding out anything. She was soon ready to return to the hotel and she could tell Lorcan and Darcy felt the same. "One last place then we'll go back, ok?" Grace said. They nodded their heads in agreement. Grace opened the door to the pub and stepped inside. The room was mainly empty besides a drunk couple sitting at one of the tables in the corner of the room. The only other person was a middle-aged women cleaning the tables with a dirty cloth. Darcy tapped her on the shoulder and she jumped in surprise. "Sorry, I didn't me to scare you. I was just wondering if you could tell us if you've seen anybody acting oddly around here. It's kinda important if you have."

"Oh, umm… I don't think I have seen anything lately, the police were asking the same things the other week."

"The Police?" Grace enquired her mood suddenly brightening.

"Yeah, you know about the murders." She looked at their interested expressions and sighed, "I could tell your not from around here, but surely you heard about the murders." "We heard about them but no one gave us much detail" Lorcan said. The women sighed again. "Bodies are being found around the city in alleyways, more than usual, but it's worse then that; most of the victims are found with their throats ripped out or covered in scratches, some have even been found comply drained of blood." with that the women shivered and she continued in a whisper as if afraid the murder would hear her, "They didn't even have any weapon marks on them, some of them just looked like they fell asleep, those are the ones with no blood left; others look like they were killed by a wild animal."

"Why would the police come here then?" Grace asked, intrigued. Then for the first time she saw tears in the women's eyes. "My son was killed by them."

Grace realised while the women had been so frightened she was afraid the killers would come back for her. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to pry." The women smiled at them, "No, it's ok. I just want them found," she lowered her voice again, "but something tells me that these aren't normal murders, it wasn't just anyone who killed all these people, I don't even think they're human." She looked Grace in the eye. And Grace couldn't help but wonder how she would react if she knew that the same type of _creatures _that had killed her son now stood in the same room as her. "Why do you want to know" she asked. Grace didn't know how to answer. "We're reporters." Darcy invented "We work for a newspaper."

"Oh," she said standing up straight and looking flustered

"We'd better get going. We didn't realise how late it was, we better get going. Thank you for your time, Ms…." Lorcan said

"Abigail Cowen"

"Than you, Ms. Cowen, we'll be in contact soon, let us know if anything else happens" he said already heading towards the door before she could ask any more questions. "Goodbye, thank you for your help." Darcy said leaving the pub. "Bye" Grace added as she followed her friends outside.

Grace felt bad for leaving the women on her own so suddenly but she knew if they had stayed longer their might have been some awkward questions asked. Darcy smiled once they were outside, "Well at least that wasn't a _complete _waste of time."

Grace and Lorcan smiled too. "Ready to go back yet, then?" he said. They nodded their heads in agreement and started heading back towards their hotel.

* * *

_S__orry it took me so long I've been really busy. I have my Mock SATS. in febuary then my real SATS after that. So I might not post as often as I did before. Anyway I hope eveyone had a nice winter break! Tell me what yo think of the story so fa__r..._

_lol,  
bubblemoon66_


	6. Larissa: again

_Yay! I finally finished this chapter! Sorry it took so long. It's a bit confusing, but the dashes (-) show that time has passed. The first part has absolutely nothing to do with the story; I just felt like including it anyway, and it didn't seem to fit in anywhere else. _

_This is kinda a 'girly' chapter (lots of flirting). But it moves the plot forward (finally)._

_Disclaimer: What have I been saying the last five chapters?_

* * *

Grace lay in bed staring up at the ceiling. She heard a knock at the door. "Come in!" she shouted not even bothering to get up. Lorcan stepped into her room and walked over to her bed. "Get up, Grace!

Grace groaned, "I'm to tired, Just five more minutes "

Lorcan grinned at her and Grace felt her heart skip a few beats.

"Your usually the first one up, we weren't up to late for you?" Grace knew he was only teasing her but behind that she could still hear the concern in his voice. "I was up earlier, I just decided to go back to bed, until you disturbed me." she said pretending to be annoyed at him. Grace could see from the playful look in his eyes that he knew she wasn't really mad. He took a step closer to the bed. and then another. Until he was standing directly above her. Grace tried to sit up but at the same time she felt strong arms lift her up off the bed. "Put me down!" Lorcan laughed as she tried to escape from his grip. "I'm serious Lorcan, Put me down, right now!"

"I you say so, Grace" he said dropping her back onto the bed. She laid there dazzled for a few seconds before sitting up. "Hurry up, you two lovebirds! We haven't got all night you know!" Grace blushed at Darcy's voice sounded from outside the room. Lorcan chuckled lightly at Grace's embarrassment. She climbed out of the bed and stood up. "Tell Darcy I'll be ready in a minuet"

Lorcan left her room still grinning. Grace sat back on the bed, her heart was still beating faster than normal.

-

"I'm sorry I couldn't be of any more help." the young waiter said.

"Thanks anyway," Grace sighed and opened the door that led back out onto the alley. This was their third day searching for the vampires and they had still hadn't managed to find anything useful in their search.

Grace walked down the street in silence, followed by Lorcan and Darcy. It had started drizzle about half an hour ago but now the rain had become heavier, causing the streets to run with muddy water.

"I think we should go back to the hotel now." Darcy said shivering.

"We can't give up already!" Grace protested

"I think Darcy's right Grace, we should go back to the hotel."

"But we've only been searching for less than an hour."

"We can keep looking tomorrow besides what if you catch a cold in the rain, your not much use if your sick."

"Fine then, we'll go back to the hotel." Grace agreed, Darcy rolled her eyes, "Sure, you agree to go back when Lorcan wants to but when I suggested it the answer was no."

"That's because she still remembers the last time she listened to you." Lorcan laughed.

"And what's _that _supposed to mean?"

"Come on, lets just get out of this rain." Grace interrupted them.

-

Grace took her coat off as soon as she stepped into the lobby, letting the water drip onto the floor. She flopped down onto one of the chairs letting out a sigh, "Oh, poor Gracie, is the little mortal tired?" Lorcan teased. "Shut it, Blood-Boy,"

"_Blood-Boy? _Is that the best you can come up with? Really Grace theirs got to be hundreds of insults to call a vampi-" Darcy stepped on Lorcan's foot, interrupting him. "Ouch! What was that for?"

"If you weren't busy _flirting _with Grace, you might have noticed that someone else is standing just outside this room." Darcy hissed under her breathe. It was true, Grace groaned inwardly as she heard a somewhat familiar voice coming from the other side of the doorway, which led into the hall. "Really Amy, I don't see what the big deals all about, It's not even that that dark out-" Larissa said stopping as she opened the. "Oh, hiya again," she said smiling at Lorcan. Grace felt waves of jealousy was over her as Lorcan smiled back. "I'm sorry I don't think I caught your name before."

"I'm Darcy, and this is Grace and Lorcan." Darcy said. Grace felt thankful towards Darcy as she tried to steer the conversation away from Lorcan.

Larissa glared at Darcy but then turned back to Lorcan, smiling again, "I'm glad to see you again, maybe you can help us out." Larissa said stepping out of the doorway, closely followed by another woman, "Me and my friend Amy were going out clubbing, but she doesn't want go because she thinks that some 'monster' is going to attack us."

Grace almost laughed out loud, what would Larissa say if she knew that at that very moment she was trying to chat up a very clueless vampire. Darcy caught her eye obviously thinking something similar and the two friends tried not to laugh.

Lorcan looked lost for a moment on how best to answer but it was Larissa friend who spoke first, "That's not what I said. I said: _It would be better if we didn't go because it's dark and wet out, and it wouldn't be a good idea because of all the murders that have been happening around the city_." Amy argued.

"Murders?" Lorcan asked sounding interested.

"Yeah, you know the police keep finding dead bodies in the street." Larissa answered,

"But why do people think it's some kind of monster."

"Because half the bodies are found ripped to shreds while the other half look as pale as ghosts, like they'd been scared to death. But you haven't heard any of the rumours so you can't be from around here, so tell me a bit more about yourself…"

Grace, Darcy, and Amy listened to Lorcan and Larissa chat idly on. Amy seemed fed up with her friend and kept trying to interrupt Larissa. While Darcy looked bored out of her mind. Grace was getting angrier by the minute, _sure he'd probably be willing to tell a complete stranger his life story, but he would never tell it to her, his best friend. _

Just when Grace felt like she was about to burst, Darcy came to her rescue, "Why don't we head back up stairs, Grace, it's getting awfully late you know."

Grace was grateful for the chance to leave the room, she got up from her chair, and climbed the stairs towards her room; As she brushed past Larissa she could have sworn she saw the girl wink at her.

-

"Lorcan's really starting to get on my nerves." Darcy said standing in the hallway outside their rooms. "I mean, why can't he just ask you out and get it over with?"

"Darcy!"

"What? You and Lorcan just need to accept that your obviously meant for each other, and you both feel the same way."

Grace thought about what Darcy had said, did Lorcan really feel the same way? Suddenly she felt all her previous anger ebb away and her hopes rise.

"Come on lets go back inside, I for one need a nice hot shower and you should probably change into something dry before you catch a cold."

Suddenly Grace remembered something, "I forgot my coat downstairs. I'll be back in a minute."

Grace climbed down the stairs and walked down the hallway, she could hear Larissa high breathy laugh. The door leading into the lobby had been left half open and she froze for a moment when she saw how close the two occupants of the room were. Larissa took a step closer to Lorcan and their lips met.

* * *

_Lorcan's in trouble now…_

_Review Please,_  
_lol,_  
_bubblemoon66_  



	7. Answers

_**Thanks for the reviews, everyone!**_

_**This chapter does contain a little bit of offensive language, just thought I'd warn you first, nothing too bad though.**_

_**I had to include a flashback/ change of view to show what happened while Grace was gone and to make the chapter longer. But I really think I went a bit over the top with some of Lorcan's thoughts, Ah-well. **_

_**Reviews welcome!**_

_**Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Vampirates.**_

* * *

Grace turned away, and ran quickly but quietly back up the stairs, her throat felt swollen and tears prickled in the corners of her eyes. She was glad to see the hallway was now empty, she didn't need Darcy to see her crying. Grace opened the door to her room and sat down on the bed. She felt terrible, maybe Lorcan wasn't as clueless as she had first thought, maybe he had known that whore, Larissa, had been flirting with him and he just didn't mind or even worse he had been happy to flirt back.

_Lorcan stood talking Larissa, he wasn't even listening to her anymore, instead his eyes were drawn to Grace. Who at that moment looked like she would bite the head off the next person who tried to speak to her, she still looks beautiful, even when she's mad, Lorcan thought to himself. He turned back towards Larissa who was still chatting futilely on. Her friend made numerous attempts to try and draw her out of the conversation, but Larissa just ignored her. Lorcan agreed with her every so often and made small comments to show he was listening, even if he wasn't. _

"_Why don't we head back up stairs, Grace, it's getting awfully late you know." he heard Darcy say. Grace nodded her head in agreement and the two of them left the room, Lorcan watched Grace leave, auburn hair and wet clothes sticking to her slight frame._

"_Can we go yet?" the girl called Amy wined to Larissa, "I thought you didn't want to go." she replied, _

"_That was before, this is now." _

"_Fine, I'll tell you what, you start walking their now and I'll catch you up, I just need to get something first."_

"_Fine then," Amy said walking out of the hotel obviously fed up with her friend._

_Finally they're going, Lorcan thought, tired of having to be polite all the time._

_Larissa seemed to act kind, towards him at least, but she really had absolutely nothing worth listening to. Oh, she was pretty, he'd give her that, but Grace was beautiful and she had thoughts worth speaking out loud, she was: smart, kind, caring, considerate, funny…_

_Lorcan was still thinking about Grace (not very aware of his surroundings), when he felt warm lips meet his in a kiss, it took him a moment to respond; He pushed Larissa roughly off him and stared at her in shock, "What the hell do you think your doing?" he hissed. Lorcan wouldn't have normally acted as rude (after all he had been brought up in a time when etiquette was important) but he forgot to act polite in his outrage. "I'm kissing you, of course." Lorcan scowled, he grabbed Grace's coat and started heading towards the stairs. Now it was Larissa's turn to scowl, "You like _her _don't you, _that girl_."_

_Lorcan didn't even bother answering back, they both knew the answer anyway, instead he walked away in silence heading back towards his room._

Grace lay down on the bed, feeling miserable. There was a knock on the door and she jumped up to wipe her eyes, "Can I come in?" -It was Lorcan, _great, just what I need, _"Hold on!" Grace peered into the mirror making sure her eyes weren't _too_ red and that their were no trace of tears left on her cheeks. Grace walked across the room and opened the door, he might not have been able to see she had been crying but he could see she was upset, "Are you okay, Grace." Lorcan asked. She could hear the concern in his voice, suddenly Grace didn't feel mad anymore, not at him anyway. Lorcan didn't even know she had seen him kiss someone else, he didn't even know that she would be jealous if he did. "I'm fine, just tired I guess." she said. She wasn't fine but she had realized that Lorcan had every right to kiss someone else, even if she didn't like it; they weren't a couple, he didn't even know that she liked him that way.

"Do you want to talk?"

"No, really, I'm fine, Lorcan."

"Well if your sure…" he handed Grace her coat. Grace took it from his hands and almost smiled, _stupid coat, that was the whole reason she had gone back downstairs in the first place. _"You left it in the lobby, on one of the chairs, I thought you might want it."

"Thanks," Grace said.

"Goodnight, Grace."

"Goodnight, Lorcan"

---

Grace stood outside the hotel along with Darcy and Lorcan, "Can't we _please _do something else tonight?" Darcy wined. "Sorry Darcy, this is to important." Grace answered, even though she too was sick of wandering around the streets looking for vampires, "Were not going to find anything tonight, so what's the point in looking?" Grace frowned she completely agreed with Darcy but she hated to admit it. Lorcan, ever optimistic disagreed, "How do you know we won't find anything today? Who knows this might just be our lucky day. We don't know until we've tried"

"Well don't blame me when it's been another day wasted."

"At least your immortal," Grace said frowning, "It actually is a day wasted for me."

Lorcan pulled Grace into a friendly hug, "Hey don't worry, we'll find them soon."

As usual, Grace's hearted skipped a few beats until she remembered that he liked someone else, and pushed him away. She hadn't told him or Darcy what she had seen last night, she didn't need them to know how upset she was.

The three of them wandered around the winding suburb streets, 'at this rate it could take years before they found anything,' Grace thought, 'the city just too big.' They entered the next pub they saw, it was dark inside with only a couple of small spotlights behind the bar to light up the whole place. Shadowy figures sat in the corners of the building whispering among themselves. Grace felt a flash of inspiration, maybe the reason they hadn't found out anything was because they were being a bit mysterious. What they needed to do was act more familiar, it must seem pretty odd if some strangers just walk into a pub and start asking questions.

Grace strode up the bar, "I'll have a coffee if you have any." Grace said to the boy behind the bar, he was young not much older than herself. "Sure, right away." he said disappearing through an open doorway leading into a small kitchen. Lorcan raised an eyebrow questioningly but he didn't say anything, Grace shrugged her shoulders in reply. A few minuets later her coffee was done. "Careful now, It's really hot," the boy said to her, Grace smiled warmly at him and took a sip of the drink, it _was _hot but she ignored the burning sensation as the liquid slid down her throat, "Mmmm…lovely, did you make it yourself?" Grace asked, The boy nodded pleased with himself. Truthfully the drink tasted horrible but she doubted saying so would help win over his assistance.

She put the cup down and held out her hand, "I'm Grace,"

He took her hand and shook it, "I'm Tom,"

Grace smiled again, "Pleased to meet you,"

"So what brings you here?"

She shrugged her shoulders, "Oh, you know, the usual" she said vaguely.

_Yeah, like looking for murderous vampires is usual _she though.

Tom laughed awkwardly and Grace smiled harder trying to look as normal as possible.

She glanced behind her to see if Lorcan and Darcy were still their, she caught sight of them sitting at one of the tables in the shadows. She turned back to Tom and started chatting to him. They talked for another couple of minuets until Grace felt comfortable enough to ask him about the vampires, "We'll actually the reason I came here is because I'm looking for someone." Tom frowned and thought for a moment, "I can't really help you with that, I've only just started working here the other week, but if you go talk to old Bill over there," he said gesturing towards one of the corners of the room. "he should be able to help you, he's one of are regulars, comes here every night, so if anyone know them, it'll be him."

"Thanks," Grace said smiling, a real smile this time, glad that they might have just found someone who could help them.

* * *

_**Oooohhh…they might have actually found something…or not…you'll just have to wait and see…**_

_**To bad Grace doesn't know what really happened between Lorcan and Larissa…**_


	8. Answers: Part 2

Grace paid for her drink and joined Darcy and Lorcan, "Find out anything useful?" Darcy asked. "Maybe, I'm not sure yet." Grace said, she _wasn't_ sure yet but she couldn't help but feeling a little bit hopeful. The building, and the streets around it felt slightly odd to Grace, it just seemed like the right kind of district for a vampire to hang around in; it was a feeling Grace couldn't describe but she was almost positive they were going to find out _something _useful.

"So, did you enjoy you coffee?" Lorcan asked, he looked bored. "No actually, it tasted terrible." she said sticking out her tongue and pulling a face. Grace could see him struggling not to laugh. "I never knew you were so good at lying."

"Well done Grace, he was completely and utterly bedazzled by you," Darcy said then leaning closer and whispering in her ear "and I think someone else was too". Darcy winked and Grace found herself blushing "What do you mean?" Grace asked. "I mean that Lorcan is jealous."

"I doubt it."

"Whatever you say, Grace." Darcy said still whispering, then in a louder voice she add, "So where to next?"

"Well, I'm suppose to go talk to Bill, over there," Grace said gesturing to were Tom had pointed.

"And that will help us how?" Lorcan asked

"Well supposedly he knows everything that goes around in this area."

"So your just going to walk up and ask him if he knows any vampires?" he asked

Grace though for a moment, how was she suppose to figure out if he knew anything? Darcy smiled determinedly, "Let me handle that,"

Lorcan, Grace and Darcy walked towards the table in the far corner, where a man sat alone sipping from his drink. He put the glass down as they approached, "Sorry to bother you but is your name Bill?" Grace asked, The man squinted at them suspiciously, "Depends, why do you want to know?"

"We're looking for someone, we were told that you might know them" Darcy said.

"And who are you looking for, might I enquire?"

"We're not exactly sure yet, we thought you might be able to help us,"

"So your looking for someone you know nothing about?"

"Yes," Darcy said keeping her expression carefully guarded, "Well actually we do know something about them; we know that they are the ones murdering all these people."

He gave a hollow laugh, "What makes you think I'll know them?"

Darcy looked flustered for a moment, "We're just looking for someone who acts a bit suspicious."

"What kind of suspicious?"

Grace and Lorcan exchanged a look, but didn't say anything This wasn't going exactly to plan, and he probably already thought they were mad or worse.

"Umm...I don't know...maybe someone who hangs around outside, or someone who come in and watches people but doesn't order anything…someone who stays hidden in the dark."

"Like you, you mean."

"Not exactly,"

He raised his eyebrows at them, "What exactly are you asking me?"

"Have you seen anyone who isn't…ummm well…_human_."

He laughed, "Your mad!"

Darcy smiled sweetly, showing her teeth, her _sharp, pointed _teeth, "Am I really?"

Lorcan hissed in Darcy's ear, "What do you think you doing?"

"Just give me a chance," Darcy whispered back.

Lorcan glared at her, "If he tells someone else about us, it'll be your fault when we're caught."

Darcy ignored him and turned back to Bill. He stood with his mouth hanging open, he closed it and took a deep breathe, "Now that you mention it I think I remember three people who come in here a couple times a week, they never drink anything just sit there, in the shadows whispering among themselves, two guys and a girl, then they get up and leave normally just after someone else has, and I know at least one of the people they followed turned up dead,"

Grace felt sorry for the old man, he hadn't asked for this, he probably thought the same thing was about to happen to him as the person who had been followed. "And they come here regularly, right." Grace said

"Yes, well I've seen they here a couple times," he said in a shaky voice,

"Ok, lets go," she said

"Thanks for your help," Darcy added,

They left the pub, stepping out into the black alley. "You are such an idiot, Darcy, you know that," Lorcan said sounding angry, "Someone might have overheard us, or he could tell someone,"

"I doubt it, and even if he did tell someone, who's going to believe him anyway, We don't exist remember?"

"So we're just going to go round scaring the information out of people."

"If that's what it takes, then yes."

Lorcan shook his head frustrated, "Your despicable, even Grace's plan was better than yours,"

"Well I didn't see you coming up with any bright ideas! And there was nothing wrong with Grace's idea or mine for that matter!"

"Stop fighting!" Grace yelled before Lorcan could shout something back, "It doesn't matter if he tells anyone or not, it's already happened and we can't go back and change it, so their's no point in arguing about it."

Grace was surprised when neither of them spoke she hadn't really expected them to listen to her, though she could still see them glaring at each other. "Ok, we need a plan…."

* * *

_Yeah, another boring chapter. I'll probably have to go back and change it when I'm not as tired. And Darcy's acting a bit ooc. But her excuse is she fed up of not finding out anything when she has to go back to the ship soon (which I probably should have mentioned earlier). _

_Disclaimer: Same as always…_


	9. Goodbyes

_

* * *

_

Ok, my last few chapters have been extremely boring so I'm going to try and pick up the plot again. And since everyone can't wait to see Grace and Lorcan together, that means we'll be getting rid of Darcy…(no, I'm not killing her off! Do I seem like that kind of person to you! Don't answer that…especially if you

_do__ know me )_

_And also if I start this chapter off where I am (and if that made sense) then you'll never know what Grace's plan was! cue for evil laughter_

_Hehe, Just ignore me…I'm just in my cheerful & hyper mood at the minute _oO

_Disclaimer: Nope, I still don't own Vampirates._

* * *

Lorcan, Grace and Darcy stood once again on the docks of Lavender Bay. Darcy looked as ready to cry as she enfolded Grace and Lorcan into a group hug.

"I'll miss you."

"We'll miss you too, Darcy" Grace said

"Make sure you stay out of trouble."

"Don't worry about us, we'll be fine," Lorcan said,

"Why do I suddenly doubt that?" Darcy said smiling as she climbed carefully down the rope ladder hanging of the end of the dock and leading down to the waters below where the small rowing boat lie tied up.

"Goodbye, Darcy" Grace called out as her friend untied the rope which secured the boat to the docks.

"Bye, Grace. Bye Lorcan"

Grace thought she could here Darcy choke back a sob, but she wasn't sure, it might have only been the sound of the dark waters below.

"Bye, Darce"

Lorcan and Grace watched the small boat until it was lost in the vastness of the gloomy ocean. Grace could just about make out the silhouette of an ancient galleon on the horizon.

Grace turned away from the sea and instead looked at Lorcan who in turn turned to look at her, he looked thoughtful for a moment before grinning impishly.

"What?" Grace asked him instantly suspicious as he tried to smooth his expression.

"Nothing,"

"What were you thinking?"

"Nothing," Grace folded her arms and tapped her impatiently on the wooden boards.

Lorcan started to grin again, "Well, now that Darcy's gone no one will object to me doing this-" With that Lorcan picked Grace up and slung her over his shoulder. "Put me down!"

Grace was surprised at how strong Lorcan but she was also annoyed at him for picking her up (again!), even if he was only messing around. "Put me down!"

"Well if you insist, I could always drop you into the water."

"If you do, I swear I'll-, I'll-" Grace thought quickly trying to make up a good comeback but unable to find one harsh enough. Lorcan laughed, putting her down and enfolded her in a tight embrace. "I'd never let you fall, Gracie, you do know that." he whispered in her ear. Grace shivered, her mind was a mess, did he love her or Larissa or neither? Was he just tying to cheer her up as a friend ? But Darcy was both their friends and Grace couldn't imagine Lorcan ever acting the same way with Darcy, so maybe he did feel the same way….

"Grace? Grace!"

"What?"

Lorcan was looking at her strangely, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, why?"

"You just looked really lost for a moment, your not sick, are you?"

"What- No I'm fine, I was just thinking"

"Well, if your sure…"

They stood awkwardly for a moment, still touching, until Lorcan cleared his throat and said, " Well, if we want your plant to work, we should probably go now." Grace nodded and linked arms with him.

As they walked Grace thought back to earlier;

_She, Darcy and Lorcan had been arguing in her room after they returned from the tavern, "I'm not leaving" Darcy exclaimed for about the hundredth time that night. "You can't stay" Lorcan argued back. Grace tried not to argue with either of them; she wanted Darcy to stay but she knew that wouldn't be a smart idea. "What if you attacked someone? What if you attacked Grace?"_

"_You know that wouldn't happen, Lorcan, I would never hurt anyone." Secretly Grace agreed with Darcy, She doubted the delicate girl would ever hurt her, _

"_You can't know for sure. And anyway even if you don't need blood, What about Edward? He still needs you." Lorcan had a point there, Grace reflected, Edward was Darcy's donor and without her, he would start to age rapidly, as Shanti had._

"_But it would only be another weak or so, it wouldn't make a that much a difference…"_

"_I told you, Darcy, you can't stay, the ship will be here tomorrow night."_

"_That's not fair; you can stay, but I can't. And who put you in charge anyway?"_

_Lorcan sighed, "I'm a lieutenant, Darcy, which means while no one of higher ranking is present; I'm in charge."_

"_But what about Grace, she suppose to be training to be second in command of the sanctuary." This had gone way to far now. Grace decided to interrupt them before Lorcan had a chance to argue back. "Darcy, no matter how much we want you to stay, it was the captain's order's for you to return in a week's time."_

_Darcy frowned, "Well, if you really want me to stay, neither of you are acting like it."_

_Grace gave Darcy a quick hug, "Of course we want you to stay, we just don't want anybody getting hurt, that's all."_

"_I know, I'm sorry, I just wish there was someway I could help."_

"_I know, but you've already helped us enough already."_

_Lorcan turned to face Darcy, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you like that, I'm just worried you'll lose control of your bloodlust and end up, killing someone."_

_Darcy grinned, "Or maybe you just want me out of the way so you can spend all of your time with dear, Miss Tempest, here." Both Lorcan and Grace blushed, Lorcan hastily tried to explain himself "That's not true, I-"_

"_No need to explain to me, I know you two really just want some alone time…as a couple."_

"_Darcy!" Grace exclaimed, amused at Lorcan's embarrassment, horrified that Darcy could suggest such a thing, and slightly thrilled at the thought of her and Lorcan as a couple._

_Darcy winked, and walked out of the room into her own, laughing; leaving Grace and Lorcan alone. Lorcan was still blushing as he said goodnight to her rather awkwardly._

* * *

_Ok, very strange chapter, I know, I do have a plot, Honestly. Lorcan was acting a bit ooc when he yelled at Darcy but his excuse was he doesn't want Grace hurt._

_Sorry about the author's note but I thought some people who haven't already heard might be interested in knowing about Black Heart. Oh, and I've started writing a new fic; but I decided I should finish it first then post it, so it may be awhile…_

_Also for anyone who didn't know, Edward is Darcy's Donor._


	10. Vampires

_Sorry I didn't update for so long! I've started a new fic now so I don't know how often this one will be updated. I've practically given up on 'Follow Your Heart' -well at least until I can think of something interesting to happen in that. _

_I really hate the beginning of this chapter but it get's better as it goes on, so enjoy…!_

* * *

Lorcan held the door open for Grace before stepping inside. The pub was slightly more crowded then it had been the previous day, as the night was still young.. Grace looked round the room trying to act as discreetly as possible about it; There were a group of half a dozen or so men drinking in the middle of the room, two men and a women in the corner and a pair of middle-aged women towards the back. Bill was nowhere to be seen -Grace wasn't surprised, the poor man probably thought Darcy planned to murder him in his sleep. She also saw Tom wave at her from behind the bar, she waved back and then stopped, noticing Lorcan's expression, "Come on, Grace" he said grabbing her arm and leading her towards one of the booths in the corner. They sat down opposite each other, "What was all that about?" Grace asked eyebrows raised, "Nothing, I just don't think you should be drawing attention to yourself." Grace rolled her eyes and they sat there awkwardly, not saying anything.

"Do you think the rouge vampires are here yet?" Grace asked after a while, breaking the silence as a young couple walked in. Lorcan shrugged his shoulders. Grace felt annoyed; less than a quarter of an hour ago Lorcan had been laughing and joking about and now he wasn't even speaking to her! She thought about going up to the bar and talking to Tom anyway just to annoy Lorcan but then she'd be stuck with Tom again and probably drinking another horrible coffee. Instead she decided to ignore Lorcan and watch the occupants of the room to see whether any of them seemed likely candidates as vampires. She heard one of the men tell his friends he was going to get a breathe of fresh air at the same time the group of three who had been sitting in the opposite corner stood up.

* * *

_Lorcan was lost in his own world, Grace was silent, He thought about earlier when he had picked up Grace, he'd wanted to tell her that he loved her but he couldn't bring himself to say it, she'd been acting so strangely lately and he was afraid of what she would say. He could tell her now; he just needed to say those three words- Grace interrupted first "Do you think the rouge vampires are here yet?" Lorcan shrugged, how was he suppose to bring this up, he couldn't just say, 'Grace, I love you' she'd probably think he'd gone mad; besides there were no words to describe exactly how he felt, how could just three simple words describe so many feelings? Grace tapped his hand lightly and pointed to where two men and a women were following another man. Lorcan nodded his head and stood up._

* * *

Grace and Lorcan followed the group of people a minute after they had walked out the door. Once they got outside the dark street was deserted, Grace looked round looking for some sign to show where they had gotten to. She found none, instead she heard a shout coming from one of the many dark alleyways leading off the sides of the street. She broke out into a run, following the sound where the yell had come form with Lorcan right behind her. As she turned the corner a cold hair of arms wrapped around her waist, dragging her backwards. Grace looked up in surprise and fear at the person who had grabbed her, it was Lorcan, "What do you think you're doing?" she hissed quietly, fear turning to anger. "Saving your life."

"Let go of me!"

"Why? So you can go and get yourself killed!"

Grace struggled to escape from Lorcan's grasp but he wouldn't let go, "Grace stop. If you go out there they'll kill you!" Grace froze, she hadn't thought about that. Lorcan let go of her, "I'm sorry, Grace"

"But what about that man."

"I'm sorry" Lorcan repeated.

"We can't just let him die!"

"I can't just let _you _die."

Grace buried her head in Lorcan's chest, trying not to cry as he stroked her hair. She didn't even knew why she was so upset, she didn't know the man, but that just seemed to make it worse. She understood why Lorcan had stopped her, if they died now the three vampire's would continue to ravage the city, killing even more people. It was like trading in one life for hundreds, but that still didn't make her feel any better.

Lorcan pulled Grace backwards, again, into the shadows of the building as the three vampires walked past. They stopped a couple of feet away from where Grace and Lorcan were hidden. A tall, dark and muscular man started to turn one way, away from Grace and Lorcan. The other's stayed where they were, "Oh, come on, Luke, come back home with us." one of them, the women, whined. He chuckled, "Can't. I'm still starving. I'll catch you up later. "

"But your always hungry" the women pouted. The other man who had spiky blonde hair dyed red at the ends laughed, "See Ya, Lucas"

The darker man disappeared into the shadows. "Come on Sam, lets go already." the man said. The women folded her arms like a spoiled child, black frizzy curls bouncing everywhere. "Sam…"

"Okay! Okay! I'm coming!"

Grace held her breathe as the two brushed past heading the opposite way their companion had. She shivered and drew closer to Lorcan as she saw that both of their mouths were covered in blood. "Are you okay?" Lorcan asked quietly once they were gone. Grace nodded her head, "We should follow them."

Lorcan squeezed her hand and the two set off where they had last seem the vampires.


	11. Hunting

_Thanks for the advice and reviews! You guys rock! _

_I know the cat bit kinda ruins the mood of the chapter but Sam isn't really a character to take seriously. I'm pretty sure (but not 100 sure) Australia has plastic bins rather than metal bins but we'll just assume they use metal in the future for the sake of the story._

_Vampirates and all related material belong to Justin Somper, not me sadly. _

_Teehee...I like the begining of the next chapter, but you'll just have to wait until I post that wont you (evil laughter) which might just be sped up by a couple of reviews (hint hint) _;)

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It didn't take long to find the two vampires. Grace and Lorcan followed silently hand in hand trying to remain as far away as possible with out losing sight or hearing of them. After about five minuets of walking Grace heard shouts in the distance coming from where they had just been. "I guess they found the body" the man said. The women, Sam, let out a high, breathy laugh making Grace's skin crawl. Lorcan squeezed her hand even tighter than before.

Grace tried to keep her footsteps as muffled as possible; it wasn't easy, the dark night made it hard two see where she was going and she kept tripping over her own feet and brushing against large metal bins lining the streets which echoed hollowly in the night. Every sound seemed exaggerated, she was sure someone could here each and every step she took and her heart betting wildly in dread and anticipation. She was sure any moment one of the vampires would turn round and spot them.

A cat meowed from somewhere in front Grace making her and Lorcan jump. The vampires turned round instantly. Lorcan pressed Grace against the side of the building, trying to keep them out of sight, at any other time Grace would have been thrilled to be so near Lorcan but now she could do nothing but pray she and Lorcan wouldn't be murdered by blood-thirsty vampires.

"Show yourself!" shouted the man

"Don't be stupid, Zak, it was just a cat. Here puss, Here pussy-pussy. Aww isn't she adorable" Sam said doubling back a few yards and reaching out a hand to pet the cat.

"Ouch!" Sam yelled pulling her hand towards her and away from the cat as it hissed at her, back arched and fur standing straight up, "It bit me!"

Zak laughed rather cruelly, "That's what you get for not leaving the stupid thing alone."

Sam glared between him and the cat (the later of which then fled, disappearing into the night). Grace would have laughed too at the irony of a vampire making such a big deal about getting bitten if she wasn't so frightened.

"Lets go." Sam said returning to Zak's side as they resumed their journey. Grace and Lorcan followed, still trying to remain in the building's shadows. Every five minuets or so Zak would look carefully over his shoulder and they would duck into a doorway or down a side street. Sam started to notice Zak's unease after a while, "What's wrong, Zak, afraid of the dark?"

"Someone's following us,"

Grace trembled.

"Who would dare follow us?"

Zak ignored her, "Show yourselves!"

Grace and Lorcan stayed silent. Sam just laughed.

Zak continued to walk even faster than before and Sam had to trot to keep up with him. They continued like that for another ten minuets speaking to quietly for Grace to her. Grace tripped over something in the dark, and Lorcan swore loudly.

"HA!" Zak exclaimed in triumph, "See I told you someone was following us!"

"I didn't hear anything." Sam said but she didn't sound very certain, "Lets just go."

Zak said something in reply, which Grace couldn't here, and the two set off again. Lorcan pulled Grace up from off the ground, "Are you ok?" he whispered. "I'm fine, you?"

"Yeah, but I we should start heading back now."

"We can't give up now!"

Lorcan nodded his head, though Grace struggled to see it in the pitch blackness. The two set off as quietly as possible and headed to where the vampires had turned the corner. The next street was empty. Grace looked around wildly she didn't see the vampires anywhere, they had just vanished into thin air. She peered down the other streets in vain, but she couldn't se anything in the dark. "Let's go, Grace."

"But what about…"

"-They're gone, there's nothing we can do"

Grace and Lorcan walked hurriedly, Grace had no idea where they were heading to, but Lorcan seemed to know where they were going and she didn't question him. It seemed to take forever to reach the hotel and twice she thought she heard something behind her, but when she turned there was nothing there, her mind and body felt exhausted although the night wasn't yet over. She leaned against Lorcan as he guided her back towards the hotel, inside she noticed Larissa staring at them, but her mind was to num to care. Lorcan led her back to his room and she sat down on one of the chairs while Lorcan laid down on the bed. That sat in silence for a while and Grace felt a little bit of life starting to comeback into her mind. "You should get some sleep,"

"I don't think I can" she said shivering. He stood up, "Come on then, lets go get you a drink."

"I don't need a drink."

"Grace, your in shock, if your not going to get any sleep, then you should at least get you functioning properly again."

Grace tried to protest as Lorcan dragged her out of the hotel again, but to know avail.


	12. Larissa: for the last time already!

_CCRox4Eva won be over with her kind reviews -I'll update without waiting for anymore reviews...I almost called this chapter 'red wine' but in the end I decided not too...oh, well. Mild swearing.

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_

Larissa sneered at Grace and sad something unintelligible, as they reached the lobby again, but Grace didn't even listen, she had other things to worry about besides annoying, catty vampire-stealing sluts.

They entered a near by tavern, Grace was to tired to notice which. Inside Lorcan pushed her towards one of the closed off booths and she sat down, while he strode up to the bar to order something. Lorcan returned and placed a small glass of wine in front of her and another cup of something else opposite where he sat. "I don't drink,"

"I know you don't, but it'll make you feel better."

Grace took a sip, it didn't taste nearly as bad as she expected, like when she'd drunk ale at Ma Kettle's before and that had tasted horrible. After half the glass of wine she started to feel dizzy. Once she put the cup down Lorcan swapped it for the other drink, inside the white mug was a warm, aromatic tea. Grace drank it gladly. "Feel better?"

She nodded, "What was the wine for?"

"Well, first you needed something to clear your mind, that'd be the wine, then you needed the tea to get you sober again." He said grinning, "Plus, I always thought red wine was rather romantic." Grace smiled, it felt good to be back to normal again. "Almost ready?"

Grace nodded her head again, before quickly finishing the last of the tea.

They headed back to the hotel in better spirits then they had been, Grace pushed the night's previous events form her mind -It was best not to think about those kind of thing's at 3:30 in the morning. They climbed the stairs back to their rooms, with Larissa nowhere in sight. They stopped outside the bedroom doors and stood in silence, "Do you want to come in?" Lorcan asked after a moment holding the door to his room open.

Grace nodded and stepped into its threshold. She gave a small gasp as she saw the state of the room. Inside was a complete mess, the table had been knocked over, the curtains torn off their rails, the window was broken and the sheets off the bed and bits of smashed pots lay strewn across the floor. The canvas of the paintings had also been ripped and pieces of the mirror now lay shattered on the ground. Lorcan stepped into the room,

"What happened?" she asked him, thought she doubted he knew from his shocked expression. He didn't answer her. Grace followed his gaze; lying on the bed was a blood-soaked Larissa, her throat looked like it had been torn out, her limbs had been twisted the wrong way, her skin was pale and her expression was one of utter-most fear. There was red everywhere, gathering in dark pools across the floor and large patches all over the walls. Grace felt sick, no one deserved such a violent death. She tried to get to the girl to see if she could help but Lorcan held her back. His expression appeared calm, as always, but his eyes told a different story: he was afraid. "We need to go Grace, now. She's already dead, there's nothing we can do." Grace could hear the panic rising in his voice. She wondered how he could be so insensitive, but deep down she knew he was right. They needed to get out. Now. "But what about her family?"

"Whoever killed her, might still be here."

"Then we need to warn everyone else."

"We can't, we'd be the number one suspects once everyone else knew. Think about it Grace." She knew he was right. If they stayed the police would question them, and then they'd find out Lorcan was a vampire and he'd be blamed for the murder, and then he'd probably end up dead, again. But she couldn't bare to leave without trying to help. Lorcan saw her torn expression "There's nothing you can do, Grace, you can't help the dead."

"But-" Grace froze as she heard a voice coming from downstairs, "Larissa! Where did that girl get to? How many times have I told her not to slack off on the job." Someone muttered to themselves. "Lets go." Lorcan said urgently pulling Grace out of the room and shutting the door behind them.


	13. B&B

__

Thanks for the reviews everyone!

I really don't like this chapter but it sets the scene for the next one. My excuse for everything that happens in this chapter is that they're to tired and to shocked (someone's just been murdered for goodness sakes!) to care.

* * *

"Wait!" Grace ordered escaping from Lorcan's grip, "I need to get my things."

Grace ran back to her room and shoved everything she could find into her bag and was back at Lorcan's side in less than a minute. "Okay, Ready." Grace said, much more calmly then she felt. Lorcan grabbed her hand and the two raced down the stairs and out the lobby, for the last time. They didn't slow down once they were outside, they didn't meet anyone either. Grace had no idea where they were going but Lorcan didn't stop. She could tell he was afraid -she was too- but they needed some kind of plan, "Where are we going?" she asked Lorcan digging her heels into the ground to make him slow down. "Somewhere we can stay overnight."

"Where?"  
"Anywhere, Just as far away as possible. "

They kept walking until Grace could see the dawn start to creep over the horizon. She was exhausted, just one more step she repeated over-and-over again in her head. She lent on Lorcan for support, he wasn't doing to much better now either. There was a tall, narrow, brick building in front of them. They climbed the steps to the front door. Lorcan knocked on the door. Grace was just awake enough to notice a B&B sign bolted to the wall to the right of the door. Lorcan knocked again. This time an older women, probably in her sixties appeared at the doorway, "Don't you no what time it is!"

"We'd like a place to stay."

"Well come back later, when everyone's awake." she said crossly. Lorcan handed her a bag of coins. The women weighed it in her palm for a moment before opening the bag and gasping. She quickly tried to hide her surprise, "We've got one room left, top floor, first door on the left," the women handed them a key before disappearing back inside again followed by Lorcan and Grace. They climbed three sets of narrow winding stairs until they reached the top floor and their room. The room was tiny more like a closet than a bedroom, the room was bare except for a single bed with grotty mismatched upholstery. An old armchair with holes in it. And a small chest of drawers that had seen better days. Lorcan shut the moth-eaten curtains to block out the light which was slowly making it's way into the room, he locked the door and lay down on the bed. Grace dropped her bag on the floor blushing. "What?" he asked, noticing her flushed face. "Nothing," she said quickly. He started blushing too, "Don't worry, I'll sleep on the chair."

"No. -I mean that's hardly fair, I'll sleep on the chair or on the floor, you can have the bed."

"Grace. I'm not going to let you sleep on the floor."

Grace glared at him, the effect slightly ruined when she started yawning, "Fine, We'll just have to share the bed." She crept into bed next to Lorcan and lay down, still blushing, nether of them bothered, getting changed, both to tired to care.


	14. Love at Last

_HAPPY FRIDAY THE 13TH !! Finally the chapter everyone's been bothering me about…._

_I wanted to make the argument much bigger and more dramatic but this is how it turned out so whatever…_

_READ & REVIEW_

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Grace woke up lying down in uncomfortable bed, every muscle felt cramped. She tried to sit up but something held her down; in blind panic she pushed away and fell, hitting the floor with a loud 'thud!'. She rubbed her head where she had hit it trying to recall where she was. She remembered running, lots of running, dark alleyways, a corpse…with blood, and Lorcan?

Lorcan was in the room now, lying sprawled out across the bed, still asleep. Grace was surprised she hadn't woken him up when she'd fallen; as past memories quickly returned to her.

Everything hurt…Grace could hardly think straight as she stood to see if she could try and find a nice hot bath or shower to ease all the aches and pains. Their was no on suite, instead she crept out of the room and across the hallway outside, there was a small shared bathroom, gratefully she looked the door and let the warm shower wash soothe her muscles and her mind.

* * *

Lorcan awoke with a start, he wasn't sure why but he could feel that something was missing. His first clear thoughts were, _'Where's Grace?' _He was sure she'd been there a minute ago; even in his sleep he could feel her lying next to him. But she wasn't there now. In panic he wondered if the person who had killed Larissa had gotten her too. He would never forgive himself if something hurt her-

* * *

Grace choose that moment to walk through the door and into the room, she was surprised to see Lorcan awake and even more surprised when he stood up squeezed her tight against his chest, "Are you okay?" he asked the fear still evident in his voice.

"I'm fine," Grace said, though her head (as well as her heart) pounded like mad.

"I though something had happened to you"

"I'm fine, really," she insisted as Lorcan let go. The two of them sat back down on the bed and Lorcan put his arm round her shoulder pulling her closer to him. Grace felt at peace for a moment but she could already feel dark doubts already creeping back across her mind, she sighed, "What are we supposed to do now"

"I don't know"

"We should go back to the hotel and see if we can find anything there."

"Go back? Grace! Don't you get it! The message was clear: stay away or this is what happens."

She had guessed that the vampires had been the ones to kill Larissa, though she hadn't known he had thought of that as well. Grace felt herself starting to get annoyed with Lorcan, " So what are we going to do, just give up?"

"If we have to" Lorcan said, his jaw set in stone.

She pushed away from him. Grace felt the anger that had built up over the past week return all at once, "Don't you even care?"

"Of course I do, I just don't want to see you get hurt."

"What does it matter to you if I _do_ get hurt?"

He looked hurt at that, "Grace, you're the most important person in the world to me."

"Even more important than Larissa?"

He smiled, "Of course,"

Grace frowned, "Then why did you kiss her?" she demanded.

Lorcan laughed, making Grace even more irritated than before.

"Is that what this is all about?" he asked trying to catch his breath but then bursting into another round of laughter as he saw her annoyed expression.

"Stop laughing!"

He stopped after a moment, but he was still grinning, "Are you jealous, Miss Tempest?"

Grace glared at him and he chuckled, "I didn't kiss her, Grace"

"Yes you did, I saw you" She was close to tears now and Lorcan stopped smiling.

"I didn't kiss her, she kissed _me._" Grace bit her lip; so he _didn't _love Larissa, that was good but she still had to know one more thing, "Do you love me?"

"What?" he asked laughing once again

"Do you love me?"

His eyes widened with surprise. Grace closed her eyes and mentally scolded herself, _what had she gone and said that for? What if he said no? She'd rather not know and stay 'just friends' than let any awkwardness come between them- _Her thoughts her thoughts froze as she felt ice-cold lips press against hers. _That answered her question at least; _shethought briefly before her mind was seized by a wave of pure bliss.


	15. So it’s a date?

_DON'T KILL ME! I know I haven't updated this in forever but I honestly have no idea what's going to happen next (I think) I know the ending but the middle is just one big white space in my mind…But I'm writing this chapter in as a kind of filler and I don't care if everyone hates it because for once, I actually updated.  
PS. If you have any ideas please PLEASE tell me!_

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They broke apart, gasping for breath. Grace's head was spinning from the lack of oxygen.

"Of course I love you"

"Yeah, I think I figured that out now" Grace said still struggling to breath, this had to be a dream; it was just to good to be true. But, no, not even her dreams had she ever felt such bliss.

Lorcan laughed at her reply, "Okay, so where to next?"

"We need to go back to the hotel"

The laughter faded, "No way, Grace, we are not going back. It's to dangerous"

"Well, what do you suggest then?"

"I was thinking we should go out for a drink"

It was Grace's turn to laugh now, "Your not serious"

"Of course I am"

"There's a group of murdering vampires roaming the streets and you want to go out for a drink?"

"Sure, why not?"

"Your unbelievable"

"So it's a date?" This was exactly the kind of thing only Lorcan would suggest. Senseless but sweet, it made Grace's heart swoon against her will.

"Sure why not?" She said mimicking him, albeit rather terribly. Then both burst out laughing. Perhaps this is what they needed after the trauma of the previous night. Suddenly, Grace burst into a wide grin; she'd have to remember to thank Darcy for this later, "Go wait outside" Lorcan looked surprised but did as she said . The minute the door shut Grace pulled out the black and white dress she had bought the previous week. She put it on as quickly as she could and applied a tiny bit of makeup that Darcy had seemed to have 'accidentally' let behind. She didn't look quite as fancy as she had at the feast but it would do. Grace smiled despite herself she couldn't believe that she was bothering getting dressed up for a date when they supposed to be out hunting vampires. She couldn't believe she was going on a date, with Lorcan nonetheless. She knew if Darcy were hear the older girl would have had a smug, 'I told you so' grin plastered all over her face. Carefully she applied some bright red lipstick to contrast her blackand white dress before finally putting on a pair of black lace-up sandals with stiletto heels Darcy also seemed to have 'forgotten' among the rest of Grace's clothes. Grace studied herself in the mirror: _Maybe I should put a bit more eye shadow on…._ _ARGH! Since when did all my thoughts turn to girly mush. _She groaned inwardly no-one should be able to have this effect over her, Lorcan's presence seemed to have erased all rational thought from her mind. She couldn't believe she was even wasting time putting on makeup. Who was she, Larissa? _Opps…probably not the best thought considering the poor girl had just died the previous night-_

"Grace are you okay?"

Lorcan's voice sounded from outside the doorway making her jump and dragging her away from her thoughts. She took about 3 steps to walk across the tiny room and opened the door.

"Grace…?!"

She watched his jaw drop and a look of astonishment cross his face; She smiled ruefully, "I don't look that bad do I?"

"No! No, no, no…you look…well …stunning"

She couldn't help but chuckle at his shocked expression, "Well then, shall we go?"

He nodded his head in agreement, still to stunned to speak. They linked arms and continued down the hallway, not even breaking their bond as they stumbled down the narrow staircase together.


	16. Spaghetti Bolognese

_I ordered Blackheart and it came early, It was awesome! But this is for anyone still waiting to read it._

_Disclaimer: I don't own Vampirates or Lady & the Tramp._

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"Darcy's never going to let us live this down, you know." Grace committed as they sat down together at a table-for-two in the centre of a fancy restaurant.

"I know"

Lorcan tried to appear cool and collected, but she could see that deep down he was feeling just as awkward as she was. They ordered drinks and settled into an uncomfortable silence.

Grace looked nervously down at the white linen-covered table and then at the small glass vase holding a single red rose and then back up at Lorcan's equally uncomfortable smile. She doubted she had ever felt more awkward in her life, glancing at the misty eyed couples gazing into each others eyes.

"So….where do you think we can find some more vampires?" Grace asked thinking desperately of something to say.

"Just ruin the romantic mood, why don't you?"

"What do you mean?"

"We're young, we're in love, we're on our first date…and all's you can think of is how to catch a bunch of renegade vampires. You're always so busy scheming away, always wanting to help others…." He drew closer to her, leaning over the table, narrowly avoiding knocking over the rose in the crystal vase. His voice quietened, sounding husky to Grace's sensitive ears, "Can't you put yourself first for once? Can't you just relax for one second?"

Grace's breath caught in her throat; she felt the very opposite of relaxed; except, it didn't exactly feel like a bad thing….

"Can you, Grace? For me?"

She'd almost forgotten what he was asking, their lips her only a hairsbreadth apart. _Damn, _she couldn't say no to him but she couldn't promise anything either, "I'll try"

He opened his mouth in reply, but a cough from somewhere behind Grace interrupted him.

"Are you ready to order?"

A small sigh escaped Grace's lips as Lorcan frowned and drew away.

"What would you like, Grace?"

She glanced down at the menu, picking the first thing which sounded slightly appetising, "I guess I'll have the spaghetti Bolognese"

"And you, sir?" The waiter asked jotting down the order on a fat wad of paper.

"We'll just share, if that's okay with you Gracie"

Grace felt a small spark of panic ignite deep inside her, it was an unfortunate word choice, and that was all; infact he himself probably hadn't realised what he'd said. She pushed the fear away and just nodded her head in reply, it hardly mattered since he wouldn't eat any of it anyway. But would he drink blood if she offered? She didn't know the answer and she was afraid to find out?

"Anything else?"

"No, we're fine" Lorcan said cheerily, taking a large swig of his drink as the waiter disappeared. She couldn't help but wonder why, he clearly didn't need it, and she had seen first hand how _fond _of blood vampires were, she could still picture the hunger in Lorcan's eyes that had flared up when she had first discovered he was a vampire…  
"Grace? Grace!?" Lorcan's worried voice broke the spell, returning her thoughts to the present.

"I'm sorry did you say something?"

"I was asking you if you're okay, though your evidently not." He sounded concerned and upset at the same time.

"I'm fine" _Maybe she should tell him not to worry about her….to think of himself for once…._

"If you don't want to stay here, just say so. I honestly don't mind. Infact I never was one for fancy dinning, we can just forget about the food and-"

Grace couldn't help but smile; he was babbling, Lorcan who was always so cool and collected was just as nervous as her.

"No, it's wonderful, _you're wonderful. _I was just thinking again."  
"Scheming"  
She nodded.  
"About vampires?"  
"Yes" It wasn't a complete lie but she hardly wanted to go into specifics.

"You're afraid" He didn't ask this time he simply stated it as fact. She felt the blood rise as she tried, unsuccessfully, not to blush.  
"I'm not afraid"

He laughed, "Grace, you don't think I know a lie when I see one?"  
She turned an even deeper red, "I'm not afraid of the rouge vampires"  
"Maybe that's true…" He leaned in close to her again, so they're lips were almost touching and whispered, "So what are you afraid of?"

His eyes were hypnotic, she almost said _you_, almost but not quite.  
She wasn't sure how she managed it; Every time he went anywhere near her, she could feel her pulse quicken and her head spin, it wasn't fair, "Cheater"  
"What?" He laughed again; only this time, because of the proximity, she could feel the laughter tickle her skin.  
"You're cheating"  
"Grace, I don't have a clue what you're on about"

A light cough near by distracted them, "You're order,"  
They broke apart once again and the waiter set down the single plate of spaghetti down between them before hurrying off, probably sick of seeing the 'misty eyed' couples.  
Suddenly, she laughed as she gazed down at her dinner.  
"What's so funny?"

"You and Me on a date, eating spaghetti bolognese. If this was a cheesy romance flick we'd be sharing giving each other the last meatball, sharing the same string of spaghetti and feeding each other bits off our own plate"  
He laughed along with her this time, "There's to many vampires for it to be a romance"

"We could be something from an old horror film then"  
"And have our limbs cut off halfway through? No, we need something with a happy ending."

They laughed again, disrupting several other happy young couples who glared at them over the china plates, silver cutlery, linen table clothes and all the other finery and frippery, "Defiantly something with a happy ending" Grace agreed, bursting into a round of fresh giggles as Lorcan twirled a few stings of the pasta around a silver fork and held the fare up to her lips.


End file.
